Archives for Athletes

For a while, people have been commenting on Bruce Jenner’s changing physical appearance. Since his split from most recent ex-wife, Kris Jenner, he has been spotted with longer hair, fuller lips and manicures. While speculation has definitely been rampant, PEOPLE magazine is confirming the rumors that he is transitioning into a woman.

Jenner first rose to fame as an Olympian after he won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal. He became a national hero and, among other things, appeared on boxes of Wheaties, went to the White House to meet President Gerald Ford and appeared in the films Can’t Stop the Music (1980) and Jack and Jill (2011), both of which won Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Picture.

The first real speed bump Jenner faced was in the mid-1980s when he decided to have plastic surgery. On an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians (on which he starred with his then wife, Kris, and their daughters), he explained that the surgeon “botched” the procedure and the fallout took a toll on his self-esteem. Afterwards, his popularity began to wane partially because people stopped recognizing him.

Ray Rice, the NFL, and CBS has gotten me so angry, that I have not been able to write. I have been trying to write this post for weeks. In actual fact, I haven't been able to write a word of any kind, because I have been so angry. So this post is to serve the purpose of me releasing my anger (and if you have pent up anger on this as well, please comment), and then move on to other topics that are happening in the world of celebrities and mental health.

In order to process what has been happening - a friend of mine gave me a little cheat sheet to help me unscramble my thoughts. And rather than write a long essay on domestic abuse, I will stick to the questions he posed.

Why would someone defend and minimize abuse?

Minimize abuse - do they think it doesn't happen? Someone once tried to tell me that the holocaust didn't happen. I know that the holocaust happened, its not some kind of myth. Neither is abuse. Abuse is real. I understand why victims would minimize it or even defend it. But that's another topic. Bystanders should never say, "well they deserved it - look what she was wearing", or "he caught her talking to another man". or anything else to defend the abuser. There is no excuse for it. None. I don't care what the reason is.

Nearly a year ago, NBA player Jason Collins did something no other male professional athlete for a major American sport had done before: he came out as an openly gay man.

Now, the 35-year-old center has signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets and made history again last night (Sunday, February 23, 2014) by playing in the first NBA game with an openly gay player on the court: the Brooklyn Nets vs. the L.A. Lakers.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a guest post by Michael Corbin, hardcore Bears fan and mental health advocate. Corbin is the creator of everyminute.org, a grassroots campaign uniting advocates, mental health professionals and organizations into a single coalition creating a public forum advancing the need and benefit of increased mental health research.)

I grew up in a rural town south of Chicago, and I have been a Bears fan my entire life, and as we Bears fans know, there's a certain dominant, smash-mouth style of play we expect on the field and in fashion.

This week wide receiver Brandon Marshall took a tough stance in a different fashion than most fans are used to:

He announced he would be wearing lime green cleats in his October 10th game against the New York Giants as a way to attract attention to Mental Health Awareness Week.

Yesterday (April 29, 2013), Washington Wizards center Jason Collins announced he was gay, making the 34-year-old NBA star the first male professional athlete for a major American sport to openly come out.

It's 2013, but who's counting? Like the majority of the country (with the exception of NFL player Mike Wallace, perhaps) am proud of Jason Collins. I applaud is bravery and look forward to how his honesty might affect the game and its fans.

I didn't used to be such an advocate of celebrities (including athletes) "coming out."

Not because I thought they shouldn't, but because I thought they shouldn't feel like they have to.

On Saturday, December 1, 25-year-old Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher murdered his 22-year-old girlfriend, Kassandra Perkins, before driving to Arrowhead Stadium, thanking the general manager and head coach for all they'd done for him, and shooting himself, effectively completing suicide.

Naturally, the Internet is frantic, scrambling to report news about the murder-suicide. Belcher wasn't the most well-known NFL player, but the situation is absolutely tragic and people are curious.

Belcher was wealthy and famous, after all. He'd been a member of the Male Athletes Against Violence initiative during his time at the University of Maine, and he had a degree in child development and family relations. He and Perkins had just welcomed a baby girl into their lives.

Since Saturday, I've read and listened to some speculation among the news reports, and I thought it'd be appropriate to share my thoughts on some of the indisputable facts about the situation.

Given all the sports-related (and especially NFL-related) health issues in the news lately (Greg Montgomery, Junior Seau), I thought Celebrity Psychings readers would be interested to know that the National Football League has launched NFL Life Line.

NFL Life Line is a free and confidential support hotline for members of the NFL family, which includes current and former NFL players, coaches, staff (for the team and league), and their family members.

Organizations involved with NFL Life Line include the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Jed Foundation, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the Education Development Center, and Link2Health Solutions.

U.S. gymnast Shawn Johnson hopes to make a comeback after her gold and silver wins back in 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, but the 20-year-old woman has an entirely different attitude about the equipment she uses to compete.

Namely, her body.

Johnson gained around 25 pounds during her three-year break after Beijing. It's no surprise. She went from being a medal-winning Olympic gymnast to a regular teenager.

Yet, the media - which was used to seeing her with next-to-no body fat - went wild.